RE: When indoor workers feel helpless:

August 2, 2005

Buy a TIF 8800 (about $200) and find the source yourself in about 20 minutes.

If you need help using the instrument, call.

May

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

--REPLY TO: Jeff@...

-------------- Original message -------------- > When anyone can hang a shingle and claim to be an air quality expert, > this is what can happen: > > About four years ago I began working for an agency that occupies part > of a floor in a sealed office building. Workers detect natural gas > odor time to time. This year, after numerous complaints of coughing, > headaches, gas odor detection, and burning eyes, the CO was finally > tested over the period of a week and found steadily rising to 35 ppm, > at which point the equipment ran out of batteries and shut down. For > some reason, the tester elected not to put in new batteries and > continue the testing. A month later they retested for 3 days and > found the CO at zero. The CO2 was at 1600 in conference rooms but > they told us no problem was found...................>

August 3, 2005

Steve,

Speaking of propane powered floor polishing machines - I investigated two

daycare facilities last week that had >145 ppm CO. A combined total of 132 kids

and 18 staff were exposed for up to four hours. Both facilities had their floors

cleaned by the same contract maintenance crew the previous evening. When I

checked the exhaust coming from the floor polishing machine, the emissions

exceeded my CO detector upper limit of 1,000 ppm. I understand that newer models

of these floor polishers have a sensor that is supposed to shut down the engine

if CO exceeds 75 ppm, but even that amount could be way too much in some

buildings.

Curtis Redington, RS

Environmental Quality Specialist

City of Wichita Dept. of Environmental Health

Wichita, KS

When indoor workers feel helpless:

When anyone can hang a shingle and claim to be an air quality expert,

this is what can happen:

About four years ago I began working for an agency that occupies part

of a floor in a sealed office building. Workers detect natural gas

odor time to time. This year, after numerous complaints of coughing,

headaches, gas odor detection, and burning eyes, the CO was finally

tested over the period of a week and found steadily rising to 35 ppm,

at which point the equipment ran out of batteries and shut down. For

some reason, the tester elected not to put in new batteries and

continue the testing. A month later they retested for 3 days and

found the CO at zero. The CO2 was at 1600 in conference rooms but

they told us no problem was found.

FAIR USE NOTICE:

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U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to

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must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

August 3, 2005

Jeff,

Question on using a CO tester – Does CO tend to " pool " ? Does it

matter where the meter is placed? The first IAQ guy tested twice and

both times wanted to put the meter where we were NOT. Made me wonder.

Thanks,

Blessings,

Starr Connelly

Social Worker 3

Home and Community Services, DSHS

Lynnwood, Washington

Starr.connelly@...

> Buy a TIF 8800 (about $200) and find the source yourself in about

20 minutes.

> If you need help using the instrument, call.

>

> May

> May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

>

August 3, 2005

Steve,

Yeah, I sort of wonder if especially the last IAQ guys had two clues

to rub together. To answer your questions:

The building has two heat exchange units on the roof. They were

known to be old and malfunctioning and finally replaced in March.

But when they were replaced the gas odor became worse. As I

understand it, these units serve the whole building of three floors.

The only known IAQ complaints are from 3rd floor occupants. Red

eyes, burning eyes, hoarse voices, burning lungs, frequent coughing,

headaches, headaches, and more headaches, irritability, difficulty

focusing, nausea – all are common.

No water heater that we know of. No vinyl tile. Only the offices

have venting. The halls and stairs are completely vent free.

Thanks again for all your ideas. I've requested a conference with

off-site powers-that-be wherein we can go over the situation in more

detail. Perhaps they need some " guidance. "

Blessings,

Starr Connelly

Social Worker 3

Home and Community Services, DSHS

Lynnwood, Washington

Starr.connelly@...

--- In iequality , stevec@s... wrote

>

> Starr,

>

> An awful experience!

>

> There was a case a few years back where an individual created a

company

> which wrote fraudulent denials of health insurance claims, in

quantity,

> for a well known insurer. That was clearly criminal. At least one

can

> make a case that what you describe was only gross negligence or

utter

> incompetence, and did not carry criminal intent.

>

> On the surface (and without credentials on my part), sounds like

either

> combustion exhaust or backdrafting of a combustion chamber is

occurring

> into the HVAC air supplied to your workspace. Is this true of the

entire

> building, or just the portion of the building your group is in?

Are the

> HVAC units for different parts of the building distinct, or is it

more of

> a single huge system with lots of ducts? And can you tell (by

which way

> air moves when doors are opened, for example) whether your area is

under

> positive pressure (pushes air out) or negative pressure (pulls air

in)?

> Is there a natural gas water heater in some closet in your space

which

> will in normal operation spill a little exhaust as it cycles on and

off?

>

> An observation as a sensitized person: while a natural gas leak in a

> building is a very serious problem and this should be investigated

> completely, it is also possible that the exposure is to something

very

> different in low enough concentration that it can be

misidentified. It

> can genuinely smell (especially to the sensitized person) like

something

> " totally " different.

>

> Oh, and out of curiousity, is the floor in your unit vinyl tile?

(I'm

> thinking about those propane powered floor polishing machines...)

>

> Steve Chalmers

> stevec@s...

>

August 3, 2005

Star

in some of our medical offices we have very strict regulations about x-ray

rooms, chemicals and ventilation as well as the walls have to be

specifically addressed with protective layering and more. I do not have a

room but if you don't get the info let me know because our medical society

publishes guidelines for this each year.

you might want to see what responses you get from this expert group - if

not let me know and I will call our board and find out what to do.

it is very common with neurological chemicals and petrochemical derivatives

in the ambient air that you would experience headaches, sinusitis, fatigue,

ear ringing, scratchy throat or even nausea or vomiting.

My best friend is an MD environmental physician and will respond privately

if you need.

Don't give this one up. some docs don't want to pay the money for wall and

ceiling and ventilation protection......

gina

Makris, DC, MSEL

Chiropractic Physician

Environmental Health and Law Consultations

Sustainable Indoor Environments and Indoor Air Quality Consultations

" Nothing Splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared

believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance " .

(Bruce Barton)

> [Original Message]

>

> To: <iequality >

> Date: 8/3/2005 8:07:25 PM

> Subject: Re: When indoor workers feel helpless:

>

> Tom,

> So glad you asked about the x-ray room: it does not vent to the out

> of doors. It goes directly into the entire building's duct system.

> The building manager will not answer our questions about how directly

> our ducts are connected to theirs and if the rebalancing in March

> made that connection MUCH closer, causing the sudden upsurge in the

> acrid solvent chemical odor. Neither will the powers that be

> investigate exactly what developer or fixative they use. I suspect

> glutaraldehyde. Sulfur dioxide? Well, they have done something to

> decrease the odor.

>

> I filed a Dept of Labor and Industries Claim for frequent migraine

> headaches occurring 5-7 days out of 7. I never took a migraine

> medication prior to working in this office. Presently I take 3

> routine meds and have 3 emergency meds for migraines. The nausea is

> a problem as well. And of course I had a recent bout of pneumonia –

> and I'm a very healthy woman. (Where would the pneumonia come

> from?) The doctor recommended to L & I that they investigate the x-

> ray room chemicals – which they didn't do. I wonder if either of

> these chemicals would account for some of us having severely

> decreased ability to sense odor.

>

> Any suggestions on how to get someone to properly vent an x-ray

> room?

>

> Blessings,

> Starr Connelly

> Social Worker 3

> Home and Community Services, DSHS

> Lynnwood, Washington

> Starr.connelly@...

>

> > Dear Starr (and list mates):

> >

> > One thing in your posting especially caught my attention. You said

> > there was a X-ray room beneath you in your building. I worked as

> an expert witness on a case in which the X-ray developing machine was

> > improperly vented

> > Dr. M. Dydek, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., P.E.

> > Chemical Toxicologist and Engineer

> > Dydek Toxicology Consulting

> > 6013 Cervinus Run

> > Austin, Texas 78735

> >

> > Web Site: www.tox-expert.com

> > Office Phone:

> > Office FAX:

> > Mobile Phone:

> >

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

> This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always

been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such

material available in our efforts to advance understanding of

environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific,

and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of

any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US

Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material

on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a

prior interest in receiving the included information for research and

educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use

copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond

'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

>

August 3, 2005

OOOOH If it s Chiropractor ( I am) then I am really angry. Dont let him get

away with it. They are responsible for protecting all .....

OUCH wish it was not one of the complementary docs.

Makris, DC, MSEL

Chiropractic Physician

Environmental Health and Law Consultations

Sustainable Indoor Environments and Indoor Air Quality Consultations

" Nothing Splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared

believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance " .

(Bruce Barton)

> [Original Message]

>

> To: <iequality >

> Date: 8/3/2005 8:07:05 PM

> Subject: Re: When indoor workers feel helpless:

>

> ,

> Hazard Communication Standard – This makes me wonder if it's the

> employer's responsibility to have the MSDS on hand for chemicals used

> by the janitorial service. Also, the chiropractor downstairs should

> have the MSDS for the x-ray developer. However my employer has

> stated that we are not allowed to talk to them. They were terribly

> offended the second day the acrid odor made us so sick and I

> innocently inquired as to whether they had spilled any chemicals.

> Oops. I thought it was a logical question since their office smelled

> so strongly of the same odor. Think again.

>

> Thanks,

> Starr Connelly

> Social Worker

> Starr.connelly@...

>

> > There is a law regarding the chemical products. It's called the

> Hazard Communication Standard - CFR 1910.1200. It is your employers

> responsibility to have MSDS on hand for chemical products used in

> your area. Call you state OSHA office for assistance on how to

> proceed. They may also be able to help you with the IAQ problems

> too.